Josey Scout Lodge – Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics

Join the Fun: Chili Cookoff & Community at Josey Scout Lodge

If it’s the first Saturday in February, then the LEAP Ambassadors are at the Chilly at the Lodge–along with, as it turns out, much of Huntsville! With numerous vendors, almost 100 bowls of chili available for tasting, and tours of the lodge available, there was quite enough fun for everyone.

The central feature of the event is a chili cookoff recognized by the International Chili Society. In fact, on hand to guide the judges was Don Cullum, an SHSU Alum and the 2024 ICS Homestyle Champion.

And under the guidance of Karla Christian and the entire Josey Scout Lodge Foundation Board, Cullum and the “celebrity judges” helped select the winning contestants in the categories of (1) Homestyle, (2) Traditional Red, (3) Chili Verde, and (4) Vegetarian Chili. In addition, chili enthusiasts could opt to compete in “community adult” or “community youth” categories. (See categories and rules here).

Even casual attendees can participate in the judging by filling out their “community ballots,” voting on their favorites as they roam the chili booths on the Josey grounds.

On those grounds were vendors from the region, with items such as t-shirts, objects of art, tamales, spices and herbs, and other goods for the curious shopper.

The real attraction, however, was the chili on the grounds. Cooks from all over the United States were on the grounds, offering samples of their chili. For five dollars, visitors can get six tickets, each of which is a ticket to a booth. Or, for more hearty eaters (which applied to at least one of the LEAP visitors), a $20 armband can provide an unlimited number of tickets.

The event organizers also provide entertainment for visitors in the form of music, with more than a dozen musical acts on hand for performances throughout the day.

But the serious work is the judging, where community members assess the chili cooks’ entries, and this part of the process takes two days, Saturday and Sunday.

With dozens of entrants–including six world champions–it’s a competitive process.

Organized by Leanne Woodward and overseen by Don Cullum, the process worked smoothly.

Moreover, the winning contestants in each category have the opportunity to go on to the ICS World Championship in Myrtle Beach later this year. Accordingly, Cullum and others identified the winners…

…and put the scorecards on a color-coded score board.

Two of the LEAP Ambassadors were judges, and we enjoyed the opportunity to judge the chilis.

For us, it is an opportunity to explore our culinary interest, meet new people, spend time with friends and community leaders, and, of course, to support a good cause.

Of course, with such a long day, some would inevitably get tired and thirsty…

But we held up well and greatly enjoyed the event.

Many thanks to the Josey Scout Lodge Board for hosting such a wonderful event!

Chilly at the Lodge: Food, Fun, and Fundraising

by Michelle Cardenas

In a small town like Huntsville, Texas, tradition beats it all. So when the first Saturday in February rolls around, everyone is eager to indulge in one of the tastiest community events of the year!

For the past 3 years ,“Chilly at the Lodge” has brought together the community and chili chefs from all over the country for a chili cookoff. The fundraiser has proven to be a great success and fun-filled event, with much of the work being led by Karla Christian and a team of community volunteers. All the proceeds go to support the Josey Scout Lodge, where the event is held.

This year, the LEAP Ambassadors were fortunate enough to be guest judges for the community youth and adult division. Although our credentials for cooking chili are a bit lacking, we can determine what we like. As the time for judging approximated, we all headed into the judges’ area in the lodge. We were greeted by many familiar faces, including Mac and Leanne Woodward; SHSU’s Gene Roberts; former City Attorney of Huntsville Thomas Leeper;

…Assistant City Manager Sam Maisel; SHSU’s Mandy Dunbar; Pete Sessions’ District Coordinator, Jeff Murski;

…and former LEAP ambassador and current City of Huntsville Economic Development Specialist Miranda Estrada. We also had the privilege of meeting Walt Pinegar, former investigator for the Walker County District Attorney’s office.

The judging process was very official; we began with a judges’ meeting directed by Don Cullum, six-time International Chili Society World Championship qualifier.

The stakes were high, and we did not take our roles as judges lightly. We were soon divided into two groups and so Olivia, Cinthia, Jessica and I ended up judging the community youth category ,while Morgan judged the community adult chili. We quickly grabbed our ballots and got to tasting!

There were other categories such as traditional red chili, veggie chili, chili verde, and homestyle chili. With such an extensive amount of chili to be tasted, there was a wonderful lineup of judges, including Mayor Russell Humphrey, City Manager Aron Kulhavy, Michelle Lyons, and our very own, Professor Yawn.

After judging, we couldn’t help but sample the other delicious chilis from across the country, one of which was California! The chilis ranged from all walks of spice and fixings and while it was hard to choose a favorite, we ultimately cast our ballots for the ‘People’s Choice’ category (for the winners, see the bottom of the article). We had a wonderful time conversing with the many people in attendance. Who knew that chili was such a good hors d’oeuvre!?

Many thanks Leanne Woodward and Karla Christian for the opportunity to participate as judges at this amazing chili cook-off. We had a great time, and it is always a pleasure to take part in the happenings of this amazing community!

To see the winners, go to Chilly at the Lodge!

Chilly–and Fun–at the Lodge: 2023

One of the hidden jewels of Huntsville is the Josey Scout Lodge, which serves as a home to the Huntsville units of the Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts of the USA. The structure was built in 1934, and for almost nine decades it has graced the Huntsville community.

The Josey Scout Lodge in the Snow (2021)

But for the last two years, it has also served as home to “Chilly at the Lodge,” a fundraiser and fun-raiser for the community.

The core aspect of Chilly at the Lodge is a national chili contest, with contestants from across the country bringing their best chili-game to Huntsville, TX.

It’s a competitive group, too: seven of this year’s applicants are national chili champions.

Karla Christian is the logistical manager and all-around workhorse behind this event, but it receives much help from others as well: Gene Roberts, Tom Rogers, Leanne Woodward, and numerous volunteer judges.

The presence of familiar faces reinforces the community nature of the event.

The presence of entertainment, some local, some more distal, adds variety and fun. And the presence of the world’s best chili-makers adds–literally and figuratively–adds spice to the event.

Speaking of which, the winners for Saturday’s event were:

For People’s Choice, the Saturday finishers were: (3) Mac Walker, (2) David Gray, and (1) Scott Williams.

For Community Youth, the Saturday finishers were: (3, tie) Michelle Rush, (3, tie) Carson’s Mill, (2, tie) Spice Men, (2, tie), Chili Dogs, and (1) East meets West.

For Community Adult, the Saturday’s finishers were: (3) Glenn Frey, (2) Wesley Campus Ministry, and (1) David Gray.

For the International Chili Society official contests:

Salsa: (3) Mary Parker, (2) Scott Williams, and (1) Mac Walker.

Chili Verde: (3) Chuck McCory (who generously donated his winnings back to the Josey Lodge), (2) Louis Gonzales, and (1) Mary Parker.

Homestyle: (3) Kelly Walker, (2) Roger Folks, and (1) Barbara Herron

Red Chili: (3) Brandon Marshall, (2) David Lazarus, and (1) Roger Foltz.

The event brought some great entertainment to Huntsville, gave some chili cooks a chance to show off their skills, allowed the community to come together for a good cause, and, of course, raised some funds for the non-profit Josey Scout Lodge, making it a winner of a weekend!

Chilly at the Lodge

February 7, 2022, Jessica Cuevas

On a chilly Saturday afternoon, the LEAP Ambassadors went out to Josey Scout Lodge for a Chili Cook-Off. This was a bona fide International Chili Society competition with more than 2 dozen contestants grouped into two categories: professional and community. Many of these competitors drove in from out of state, some as far as Arizona and Nebraska, just to be in this competition! The winner of this chili cook-off is moving on to the national competition.

Before we leaped into sampling chili, we explored the Scout Lodge where we learned about former members and what boy and girl scouts do. As we wandered around the grounds of the lodge, we saw community leaders such as former Mayor Mac Woodward, Economic Development Coordinator Tammy Gann, City Manager Aron Kulhavy, as well as Mrs. Leanne Woodward and Mr. Gene Roberts, both of whom serve on the board at the Josey Scout Lodge.

The Josey Lodge wasn’t only filled with “celebrity chili judges,” but it was also provisioned with games set up by the scouts, along with items for sale, such as embroidered coin bags, hats, and ponchos.

The overall atmosphere was one of community involvement, with much to do for everyone. There was even live country music being played by Kate Watson and Drew Fish, along with our friends from KSAM doing live broadcasts in the middle of the Josey grounds.

Our director, Professor Yawn, was asked to be a judge and was able to test quite a variety of salsas and chili. He judged five separate contests, and participated alongside other judges such as SHSU President Dr. Alisa White, Mac Woodward, Will Durham (DA), Judge David Moorman, Mayor Andy Brauninger, HISD Superintendent Scott Sheppard, HISD Principal Paul Trevino, SHSU Associate VP Kristy Vienne, HISD School Board Trustee Trey Wharton, Josey Scout Lodge Board Member Gene Roberts, and many others.

As customers (six tickets for $5), we were able to sample up to six different types of chili, most of which tasted better than any chili we ever had before. The savory flavors and consistency varied: from spicy to sweet, to green salsa, white chili, and even chili with crawfish!. Every single one that we sampled had us in astonishment and it was hard to choose the best one. It was a close call between many but ultimately Morgan and Mario really enjoyed a crawfish white chili, while Yvette and I preferred a mild homestyle chili.

Before we headed back home, we each acted as “judges” by filling out the slip we were given upon entry and voted for our favorite chili.

The community voted, too, and the “People’s Choice Chili” was won by Scott Williams and his team: Come bust a Bowl! And as the winner of the Community Choice award, he was invited to compete against the “professionals” the next day, and he placed! Congratulations to Scott and to all the contestants and winners, the latter of which you can find here.

Despite the cold weather, it was nice to see how community members came out to support each other at the wonderful Josey Lodge “Chilly” Cook-Off.

	The Civic Leadership… on Foundational Activities of the…
	The Civic Leadership… on The Philosophical Foundations…
	LEAPing Into Action… on The Philosophical Foundations…
	Jada Cook on SHSU Students LEAP Across Five…
	Reflections from the… on Kicking off the Semester Right…